So what is the meaning of life? You were designed and made for better than what you have been experiencing. You probably know intuitively that we are living far below what God has planned for us. You were designed and made for glory, to have the power of the Spirit of God flowing through you. Your spirit was made to be joined to the Spirit of God. Your mind, your soul, your heart, does not function as designed without the flow of the Holy Spirit through it. You were designed to flow in submission to the mind and power of God. You were designed for something greater, and the church was designed by God for something greater than dead form and ritual or entertainment or dead speculative dissertations about doctrine. This is your destiny and purpose. This is the meaning of life.

The meaning of life is that the Almighty Creator God can do His works through you. That is, His Divine Love can flow through you. When His Love flows through you and does His Works through you, that is the definition of righteousness. All sin, whether it is stealing, adultery, rebellion, or whatever, is simply not allowing God's love to flow through you. When you try to have love in your own strength or try to manufacture human love, this is what is known as self-righteousness. It is a substitute for the real and genuine meaning of Life.

Not only that, but you were designed and made to fit into a specific place in Christ's Body in a specific order defined by God. Jesus is in heaven, and He has a Body here on Earth. God's ultimate plan is to reconcile everything to Himself. God has both a process and a pattern for this reconciliation. In God's pattern and process is the true meaning of life. Anyone who does not understand this cannot possibly find the meaning of life. There are many ways that this is described in the Bible, but it comes down to the same thing: God gave a pattern for the Church, Christ's Body, and God's process is that He leads and we follow by the Power of the Holy Spirit.

You were created to be joined to God through the work that the Lord, Jesus Christ did. That joining is beyond what you can imagine. The Bible refers to this joining as the manifestation of the Sons of God and also the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. The true Church is the Body of Christ, consisting of all believers, both living and dead. The Head of the Body is Jesus in Heaven. Every member of the Body will come into complete unity with the Head Who is in Heaven and with every other member of the Body that is on Earth. When complete, this will bring in that great and terrible day of the Lord. The veil of the flesh will be removed. This web site shows all these things in Scripture. Romans 8:18-23 are two of the many Scriptures that tell us about it. Actually, this good news is throughout both the Old and the New Testaments and has been hidden for almost 2,000 years, yet God restored this truth to the Church since that great move of the Spirit which started in 1948.

A first step is required. First you must believe in Jesus--if you do believe, you are born into the family of God--it is a re-birth (Acts 16:31, 1 Peter 1:23). Re-birth makes you part of Christ's Body (1 Cor 12:27). This believing is actually a trust, a supernatural trust that is a gift from God. If you can sense this trust in Jesus, this supernatural trust is faith. It is a trust that Jesus can forgive your sins and actually free you from slavery to your old sinful nature. It involves a change of your mind, which is what repentance means. This is a change to desire to obey and serve Christ rather than being a slave to Satan. Sounds impossible, but God gives you His Holy Spirit and the Spirit of God sets you free to walk in light instead of darkness.

Once you have been born again through the blood of Jesus, you are called to come out of the useless orders of the culture and to come into the patterns that God established for your fulfillment. You have a seed, a part of Jesus in you--Christ in you, the hope of glory (Col. 1:27). Your completeness is in finding your place in the Body of Christ, completed and fulfilled by the Head, Jesus, and the rest of the Body. Just as with the human body, everything must be in order and connected properly. The Body of Christ is being formed, and the gifts, ministries, offices, and orders of this Body are the mechanisms by which you must find your fulfillment. When it is complete, this Body of Christ is the very manifestation of the sons of God, the redemption. That is why Satan makes every effort to tell Christians that these things are not relevant, interesting, or important. The more the Body of Christ varies from the pattern of Scripture, the more useless and meaningless it becomes. Extra-biblical perversions of this Body frustrate the grace of God. The more that you are out of unity with the Body of Christ or out of the place in this Body for which God designed you, the more useless and meaningless your life becomes. To be separated from the Body of Christ is like your eye thinking it is the whole body. It is as useless as a brick without a building to be part of. It is as useless as your finger would be if you cut it off.

God will not force you to fulfill your destiny, of course. It is possible, and very common, for Christians to proceed in a downward spiral, following the leading of their own fleshly nature into ungodly acts that lead to a corrupt heart that is unholy, and finally leading to a miserable, unfulfilled life.

Ephesians 4:11-16 & Romans 8:18-23

As one of those who yields to the Spirit of God, here is what you can expect. As you yield to the Spirit, God will give you His thoughts, words, and actions. This will actually slowly transfigure you by planting good spiritual seed into your mind, your soul, your heart. The inconsistencies in your mind will start to die away. God will begin removing the veil of your flesh that has been blinding you. Your tastes, desires, longings, and ambitions will slowly change to be like God's. God is Love. You will have a heart full of love. Your spiritual senses will gradually be opened, and you will be gradually better able to discern the Body of Christ. Rather than being critical of your brother and sister in Christ, you will see Christ in them. Rather than condemning yourself, you will recognize that you have flesh, but the real you is the Christ in you. You will know exactly what your purpose is and what needs to be done, and you will do it by the power of the Holy Spirit. Righteousness is a free gift to you. You will love those who are not saved as God loves them and wants them to turn to Him. You will bless those who curse you and pray for those who are mean to you and use you. Eventually, life will flow to your entire being as you yield to God and He does His work through you, and it will be easier to do righteousness than to do sin.

God has a pattern for you to grow to fullness. He has a plan for you that is much higher than the plan you have for yourself. God has so much more for you than you ever imagined. He has a pattern by which you can receive all that He has for you. Trying in your own strength will do nothing for you. Trying in your own way will do nothing for you. God has a purpose for you.

The way is simple. It is through the Church that the full work of Christ will be appropriated. The Church must be built according to God's pattern.

Topic: The Purpose And Meaning of Your Life

God\'s purpose for our lives is that we become like Jesus.  To become like Jesus.  Amazing!  We could never do that on our own, so God is working everything in the universe to bring about that good result--His Good Purpose!  The reality is that we can\'t even help Jesus do this.  We can only receive it.  What we are receiving is a restoration of our relationship with God through the blood of Christ...

God has wonderful plans, a destiny, for mankind to enter into glory.  This is the purpose of life.  This is the reason for living.  God has a plan and a method to accomplish His purpose. Sin is literally falling short of the Glory of God.  Falling short, missing the mark, losing out... that is what sin is.  Jesus came to set us free from sin.  Those who love sin reject Jesus and what...

Ungodly people miss out on all the good things--ungodly Christians miss out too.  For ungodly people there is only aging, death, and decay in a universe that has no purpose.  For godly Christians, there is wonderful joy and purpose.  Ungodly people miss out on all of this.   Ungodly Christians also miss out on finding the purpose of life, but God has made it easy to understand His purpose.   Ungodly Christians are those who are born again, but...

God's Purpose Is To Bring You Back Into His Family. We're talking about God's family. You can't join God's family. You can't buy your way in. You can't work your way in. You must be born into this family. The way is simple. All who will receive Jesus as their savior from sin are born as spiritual babies into the family of God the Father. Did God send Jesus to save you...

Romans 8:19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation [Apokalupsis: removal of a covering or veil] of the sons of God. Apocalypse (two Greek words, apokalupsis, and apokalupto meaning approximately the same thing) Literally, it means the removal of a covering or a veil. God often provides the interpretation of Scripture within Scripture. There is one Scripture that gives us the key to the word, veil. Hebrew...

If you understand the meaning of your life, you will be content in every situation because you know without question that you will be satisfied when you awake in His likeness. Psalm 17:15 As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness. We are now the little children of God, and the apocalypse, that great unveiling or manifestation of the sons...

When you endure trials and suffering such as stress, betrayal, tragedy, disappointment, criticism, contempt, malice, rebukes, disrespect, disobedience, dismissal, tantrums, mind games, and such, and you respond correctly, you will be sanctified. This is what is meant by God\'s illustration of the refiner\'s fire (Zechariah 13:9, Haggai 2:7-9, Malachi 3:1-3, faith Is Much More Precious Than Of Gold\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https://seekfind.net/1_Peter_17_The_Trial_Of_Your_Faith_Is_Much_More_Precious_Than_Of_Gold_.html\">1 Peter 1:6-7, Isaiah 48:10-11). Many of the most evil seeds...

God\'s Purpose Is To Have You Grow Up To Maturity.  God\'s purpose: you grow up into Him.  You become joined to Him in a wonderful close relationship that fulfills you and transfigures you. Romans 8:28-29 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.   For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be...

Transforming you--this is God\'s plan. He has a plan for Transforming you. It is by grace, and grace is through faith. God\'s good purpose for us is to conform us, by His Spirit, into the image of Jesus Christ. Romans 8:28-29 He wants us to be transfigured--a metamorphosis 2 Corinthians 3:18 Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed, transfigured, by the renewing of your mind. God is the...

Every Person Who Is A Member Of The Body Of Christ Has And Is A Ministry?  You have a ministry.  You have a holy calling.  The gifts of the Spirit are given by the laying on of hands of the presbytery.  Even this holy work of laying on hands for receiving gifts has, among many Christians, been distorted.  Many have called themselves to this work instead of following the calling...

First, let it be known that no amount of human effort will ever fulfill the purpose for your life. God created you for a purpose.  It is a good purpose.  He never created anyone to operate as a being who is separate from Him.  He created you to be joined to Him in a wonderful way.  God is Love.  That doesn't make God less, but it does show that most...

As a person, you have a destiny. There is only one way to fulfill your destiny. Many people try to be fulfilled by using all types of systems and ideas that could never have the potential for their fulfillment. You were created to be fulfilled, and pleasure, possessions, power, success, friendships, and such things, good as they are, could never make you fulfilled. You were created to be fulfilled in only...

If you are born again, you are heading toward a goal. When you\'re heading toward a goal, you want to understand the goal, you want to have a vision of where that goal is so that, when you arrive, you end up in the right place. That goal is that our whole being be saved. Jesus already paid the price for all of this. All that is really required is that...

The entire creation is waiting for the manifestation, the unveiling, of the sons of God. Romans 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. The word, manifestation, is a translation of the Greek word, apocalypse.  The Greek word, apocalypse, means, "the removal of a veil."  The only Biblical reference that explains this metaphor is a reference to Jesus that explains that the...

You are called to be a priest and a king. A priest brings the needs of the people before God and intercedes on their behalf. A priest also brings the messages of God to the people. This is your calling. A king rules. You will rule and reign with Christ in the Kingdom of Heaven. Have you ever considered this question: Who will you be ruling over in the Kingdom...

Actually, it\'s hard to take a position on the rapture. There are so many different competing theories out there that it\'s a little bit difficult to say exactly what the rapture is.  We would have to start by asking, \"What do you mean when you say, \"rapture?\"  We take a position against speculation, and there is certainly a lot of end-times speculation. There\'s big money in predicting the end of...

Jesus said, "You must be born again."  Nicodemus didn't have a clue what Jesus meant.  He asked, 'How can I be born again?"  It's a great question.  The answer is, "you must believe in Jesus for deliverance from your sins."  Being born again is getting started on the road to spiritual success.  Once you get started, hopefully, you take ground, hold the ground, and go on to total victory. ...

Question: What is meant by against such there is no law in Gal 5:23? Answer: The fruit of the Spirit is what grows when you yield to the Spirit.  There is no law against the fruit of the Spirit.  The point is that the fruit of the Spirit is the work that God does through you as you yield to Him.  It is not the work you do but it is of the...

Topic: The Kingdom of the Heavens

You reap what you sow. You need to sow good seed into good ground. The parable of the sower illustrates what stops you--Failure or Success, Success or Failure. God has a vision for our completeness, our fulfillment or success in Jesus. What stops you from seeing the vision? The lies of Satan. What brings you to Failure? The same lies. You know this is a spiritual war, and you know the...

Malachi 3:1-3 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. (2) But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner\'s...

You could look at the Kingdom of God and say that it does cost you everything.  If that is how you view it, you must remember that everything that you have is worth nothing.   Everyone in heaven will have joy.  That will cost you your lack of joy.   Everyone in heaven will have peace.  That will cost you your lack of peace.   Everyone in heaven will have...

God\'s process is that He leads and we submit to that leading. The Holy Spirit flows and we yield to that flowing. God\'s process is tied to God\'s pattern and leads us into God\'s pattern. God\'s process and pattern lead us into the life of the coming age. The processes of this present evil age lead into death, destruction, and misery. \"I would much rather say that every time you make...

Question: What is the church? How it should be governed. what kind of worship is most pleasing God? Describe the different answers given in the 17th century church of England to these questions. what was the outcome of these controversies? What challenges to traditional theology were experienced in the 17th century and 18th century? and what effects could be seen in the life of the Christian church? what was the usual...

Even in the early church, there were false apostles. Notice that the counterfeit did not make the genuine any less genuine.  And there are false apostles today, but the counterfeit does not make the genuine any less genuine.  This is written because some use the false apostles as an excuse for man-made church orders that cannot be found in the Bible. 2Corinthians 11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming...

There was a Christian radio personality who used his position on the airwaves to preach against any modern-day apostles. The word, apostle, means \"one sent.\" In other words, he was preaching against any who seem to be sent by God. He claimed that anyone who does not believe what he believes (and a lot of what he believes is very speculative) does not have the Spirit of God. He claimed...

Romans 8:18-23 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed [Apocalypse, Unveiling] in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation [Apocalypse, Unveiling] of the sons [huios, mature sons] of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same...

God\'s way has the Scriptural structure and order and a sure foundation. God is a God of order. He has an opinion on everything, including how the foundation of His Church will be laid. No man can send himself to this work. 2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of...

Is God All Powerful? Is God Omnipotent? Genesis 18:14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return to thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. Luke 18:27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. Revelation 19:6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of...

The apostolic age is an assumption that support the theological position that miracles, tongues, the power of God, apostles, prophets, the gifts of the Spirit, the leading of God\'s Spirit, and many other things are no longer available to the church. Duration: Ephesians 4:11-13 The apostles will be here until we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man...

Topic: The Church, What Is It and What Is Its Purpose

Romans 8:18-23 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed [Apocalypse, Unveiling] in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation [Apocalypse, Unveiling] of the sons [huios, mature sons] of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same...

Haggai 2:7-9 And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the LORD of hosts.  The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts.  The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith...

The Church can come into fullness. Fulfillment will happen God\'s way. Whoever will may come. There are no guarantees for the unfaithful, those not full of faith. God\'s pattern is more than a pattern. It is the very method of bringing us to salvation. God restored all the following: Spiritual rebirth by grace through faith: (read article) Freedom from worldly constraints, forms, rituals, rules, dead works Baptism in water: (read article) Baptism in the Holy...

It is important that we are obedient to the Spirit of God as He reveals the order in the Scripture.  We are learning to hear His Voice and respond to it.  It is also important to note that no one can select his or her own calling or gift.  No one can decide to have an office in the Church or a gift of the Spirit or a certain ministry. ...

As already mentioned, the Body of Christ is Christ the Body.  When we can discern the Body of Christ, it opens a door for us to see more clearly in the realm of the Spirit.  While our fleshly nature thinks that we have a real identity outside of the Body of Christ, this is not reality.  The reality is that our identity is in Christ, specifically, the Body of Christ...

Discerning the Body of Christ is righteousness. \"Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth to a holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together...

Many are captive to the religious systems of this age. About half of all Christian churches teach more liberalism than they teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Many who teach the gospel of Jesus Christ are intent on proving that they have the completeness. The word, "peace," in Jeremiah 6:14, means "completeness." It is the Hebrew word, "Shalom," which is used for "hello" and "goodbye" but means "completeness."  Note also that they...

Teachings of Scriptural Christianity Biblical Christianity\'s Teachings on God: The Only God is triune, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere-present, and has always existed. No person can find purpose or meaning in life or be fulfilled outside of a relationship with God. God is love and wants a personal relationship with every person. Biblical Christianity Teachings on the Perfect Creation: God created the universe and everything in it,...

Now concerning spiritual gifts [lit. spirituals], brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb [incapable of speaking] idols, even as ye were led. So God speaks. (some caveats about hearing God\'s Voice) Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but...

The purpose of this page is to set aside some of the definitions of the word, church. When the Bible is speaking of the Church, it is not speaking of a building. When the Bible is speaking of the Church, it is not speaking of an organization or a denomination. When the Bible is speaking of the Church, it is not speaking of the people. When the Bible is speaking of the Church, it is not speaking of the...

What are the Scriptural Christianity Teachings? What is the good news (gospel) and why should I care? What was the price that was paid so that I could be forgiven? Did Christ Both Die And Rise From The Dead? What Will Be The Last Enemy To Be Defeated? Why did Jesus really pay such a price? Are all who call themselves Christians free from religious systems of this age? How great is God's love? How does the...

This is God\'s process, and it does not happen by human effort. We cannot strain to yield. We must let God do the work in us. When we fail, we get up and walk again. When our brother or sister misses the target, we help them to get up and walk again. We restore them. If one walks away from God, we look to God for how to bring them...

1 Timothy 1:3 As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine 1 Timothy 6:3. If anyone teaches a different doctrine, and doesn't consent to sound words, the words of our Lord Jesus... Ephesians 3:5 Which in other generations was not made known to the which in other generations was not made known to the children of...

  2 Corinthians 11:13 and Revelation 2:2 speak of false apostles.   Acts 13:6, 2 Peter 2:1, Mark 13:22, Mathew 24:24, Mathew 24:11, Luke 6:26, Isaiah 44:25, Jeremiah 50:36, Jeremiah 23:16, Jeremiah 23:21, and many other Scriptures speak of false prophets.   Acts 20:29, 2 Peter 2:1, 2 Peter 2:12, and Matthew 7:15 speak of false teachers.   Ezekiel 34:2-10, Ezekiel 34:17-22, and John 10:12-13 speak of...

The Five-Fold Ministry or 5-fold ministry has become a popular subject in some circles, although the major revelation concerning this subject was unveiled by the Spirit of God about the middle of the twentieth century.  Many of the newer human interpretations of this Divine revelation have modified the Truth to allow some people to cater to considerations of money, power, pleasure, and prestige.  The original revelation concerning apostles, prophets, evangelists,...

God has a method for bringing us to maturity in Him. His plan is that we would be transfigured by the renewing of our minds. For this process, He has given gifts of the Spirit to the members of the Body of Christ, so that there is none that has preeminence. All are necessary. His method is that every member have one or more gifts and that those gifts be...

Search The Scripture And You Will Find That It Says A Lot About Apostles--and They Are For Today, Not Just The Past. An apostle must be set by God.  No one can appoint himself to the office of the apostle.  It is NOT an office that glorifies the individual now, any more than it was in the early days of the Church.  There is no such thing as a maverick apostle or a chief...

God has a pattern for the Church, and that pattern is in Scripture.  His pattern is important to Him....

There Is Only One Scriptural Church Government Order.  There Are Many Man-engineered Orders For Church Government.  Scriptural Church Order: There is only one order defined in Scripture for the Church.  That order of authority is the Spiritual order.  It is the order of the Holy Spirit.  In the Kingdom of the Heavens, when it fully comes, this Spiritual order will become the order of the government of the entire earth. ...

The Bible doesn\'t really say much about pastors (as a noun).  It talks about elders (plural) who are to pastor (a verb meaning to care for as a shepherd cares for sheep) the local church members.  Pastors (as a noun) are only mentioned among the five traveling ministries/offices in Ephesians 11.  Something happened during the dark ages to destroy the order of the church.  New ideas were introduced by people...

God's Way is not a smorgasbord from which the Christian may pick and choose.  For each person, God pulls back the veil of the flesh so the person can see some element of the Kingdom of God.  The person either receives the revelation or not.  We are all on the road somewhere.  Many are stuck in a rut because they continually reject what God has revealed to them.   Many rejected...

The apostolic age is an assumption that support the theological position that miracles, tongues, the power of God, apostles, prophets, the gifts of the Spirit, the leading of God\'s Spirit, and many other things are no longer available to the church. Duration: Ephesians 4:11-13 The apostles will be here until we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man...

The Church has many functions, but it has two main purposes: The purpose to assure that the called are born into God's family. The purpose to assure that the born grow up to Christ's fullness. Romans 8:28-29...

What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Church?   The strengths of the Church are:   Obedience to God through the power of the Holy Spirit.     And understanding of Scripture through the power of the Holy Spirit.     The orders of the church as God has laid them out in Scripture.     Hope in the promises of Scripture.   The weakness of the Church are:   Disobedience, ungodliness, and...

It seems as if the Scriptural order of the Church is widely rejected by religious people.  There are several reasons. First, any precept of God is spiritual in nature.  Spiritual things must be revealed.  They are not reasoned out.  Even the Scripture says that spiritual things must be spiritually discerned.  How can someone walk according to something they can't understand.  Every Christian should be in constant prayer for God's continual unfolding revelation.  There are things that...

Scripture defines the Church and its purpose. It is the Bride of Christ, but God\'s purpose is that it become totally clean and without defect first. God\'s purpose is for total unity in the Church. God\'s purpose is the the Church is the Kingdom of God. It is the final holy temple of God. Without the Church that is built according to the pattern, you will never find fulfillment. To...

Great Babylon of the Apocalypse is the confusion of voices. It is the divided church, squabbling, making merchandise of the saints and of religion. It is the divisional denominational system that has the unbelievers so mixed up that they wonder who they should believe. Babylon has come into existence from man-made forms, rituals, and governments--church orders that in no way reflect the orders that are established in Scripture. How many 1...

Romans 8:28-29 The purpose is that those who have been born are conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. Research indicates that many are leaving the traditional churches because those churches are not meeting this need. No amount of human effort could make it happen, but God has a plan. God has a method. God has a way. God has a pattern for everything and His pattern is the only way.  Hebrews...

God's Way is not a smorgasbord from which the Christian may pick and choose.  For each person, God pulls back the veil of the flesh so the person can see some element of the Kingdom of God.  The person either receives the revelation or not.  We are all on the road somewhere.  Many are stuck in a rut because they continually reject what God has revealed to them....

Jesus prayed a prayer in John 17: 21, and that prayer will be answered in the affirmative. Jesus didn't pray a foolish or unacceptable prayer in John 17:21. All His prayers will be fulfilled. The one prayer in which He prayed, "Not my will but Thine be done... " was his prayer for release from the cup, and that was probably prayed more for our sakes than His, showing that the...

God is not so much concerned with numbers of members in a church.  He is concerned with your growth.  God has given the church what is needed to make this growth take place, but much of the church is taken up with the money, power, and prestige or religion, so they don't listen to God's voice. 1 Corinthians 12:28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly...

Our walk is a walk of submission, because God created us to be joined to Him in a mighty relationship of His soveriegn love and our submission to His love.  God is love.  He leads, we acknowledge Him, so faith comes opening the door to His free gift (grace) of righteousness, which is His love.  His love, the free gift of righteousness, does righteousness through us.  By degrees, our eyes...

The Greek word for church, Ekklesia, literally means \"called out or summoned, assembled with a purpose.\"  The disorders in Jesus\' church will fall away, disorders that have been introduced by human ideas.  These human-generated disorders will be replaced by the orders of God, which are the orders of Scripture.  Then, we will find that, just as the Bible says, the church is the very method by which we come into complete...

As with the home, God has an order for the Church, and that order is in the Scripture.  There may be more that needs to be revealed from Scripture, but some things appear to be quite easily understood in the light that God has given today.  We believe that the Holy Scriptures teach:   The 5 apostolic ministries(Ephesians 4:11)   The nine gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8-10)   Local congregations...

And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;   Ephesians 2:20 Jesus Christ is the foundation of the Church.  There can never be any other foundation.  And we must be careful how we build because our work will be tested by fire.  The apostles are built on the foundation of Jesus.  So many organizations have creative little ways to define their doctrines, but...

Unity is righteousness. God\'s Way: apostles; prophets; evangelists; pastors teachers equipping the believers for the work of ministry, which is for building of the body of Christ UNTIL... And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;  For the perfecting (equipping) of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till (Until) we all come in...

Can these be counterfeited? Yes.  Every gift of God can be and is counterfeited by the human mind and by powers and principalities.  Even salvation itself is counterfeited.  Worship is counterfeited.  The Bible is counterfeited with false translations.  Ministries are counterfeited.  Healing is counterfeited.  Miracles are counterfeited.  Prophecy is counterfeited.  Tongues are counterfeited.  And, of course, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers are counterfeited.  This makes the real no less real, but, in...

\"A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land: The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. \'Peace, peace,\' they say, when there is no peace.\" Jeremiah 5:30-31, 6:14. It\'s notable that the word that is translated \"peace\" in this verse is the word, Shalom. Shalom...

If They Are Forbidden From The Spirit, They Will Partake Of Flesh. People are starved for reality, for real contact with God and real power for righteousness by the Spirit of God. Some well-meaning pastors and teachers try to protect their flock from any further experience in God. They insist that the theoretical and the intellectual experience is all that is needed. The people of God are literally starving to death...

In some cases, people are being taught that only certain parts of the Bible are valid. What is considered valid or not valid can vary widely across organizations. Some organizations want to get rid of the creation account and what the Bible says about the age of the Earth. Some want to get rid of apostles, prophets, and gifts of the Spirit. Others want to get rid of speaking in...

Humanistic Speculations Whether a member of the New Age, the Humanist movement, the Intellectualism movement, the Agnostic movement, the Atheist movement, or whatever the movement (we\'re referring to ungodly anti-Christ movements), an incredible thing seems to happen almost every time the ungodly express themselves. They first assert that they stick to facts, then they smoothly transition to a fictional story, and then they insist that the story is a fact....

When we think seriously of our individual relationship with Jesus, it might seem like this is such an individual walk that there is no need for the church.  That is not the case in any way.  The church is a vital part of the walk.  We quickly come to the point where the Holy Spirit puts the church on our hearts.  We can see the mighty opposition of all Satan's...

2 Corinthians 10:18 tells us that an apostle must be an apostle by more than just his own commendation and appointment. Acts 6:1-7 records the setting of a number of deacons to help the apostles. Galatians 2:8-9, Acts 9:26-30, and Acts 13:1-2 show that the apostles were on guard against false apostles, but Peter, James, and John discerned the call on Paul and a door opened so...

Question:     My question is this. Our church is beginning to tolerate just about anything. Our Pastor is wanting our board (deacons) to only have the duty of financial matters. He wants all other responsibilities himself. He wants to leave scriptures out of our by-laws that relate to dealing with sin in the congregation. He has a young man at this moment sitting out of our praise and worship team...

Question: What is the church? How it should be governed. what kind of worship is most pleasing God? Describe the different answers given in the 17th century church of England to these questions. what was the outcome of these controversies? What challenges to traditional theology were experienced in the 17th century and 18th century? and what effects could be seen in the life of the Christian church? what was the usual...

Even in the early church, there were false apostles. Notice that the counterfeit did not make the genuine any less genuine.  And there are false apostles today, but the counterfeit does not make the genuine any less genuine.  This is written because some use the false apostles as an excuse for man-made church orders that cannot be found in the Bible. 2Corinthians 11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming...

I heard a Christian say that she is trying to practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty. I realized that God isn\'t random or senseless. He doesn\'t need our ideas. He is full of ideas. He doesn\'t want us to use our imaginations to come up with a vision out of our own hearts. He wants us to see a heavenly vision that starts and ends with Him. With these...

There was a man who got a job as pastor in a medium-sized church.  The man had a vision for the big city near his church, so he said.  He generated a lot of support for his vision among pastors of other small churches and became a bit of a folk hero among them.  He spoke with lots of passion.  In these circles, various winds of doctrine would sweep through...

There was a Christian radio personality who used his position on the airwaves to preach against any modern-day apostles. The word, apostle, means \"one sent.\" In other words, he was preaching against any who seem to be sent by God. He claimed that anyone who does not believe what he believes (and a lot of what he believes is very speculative) does not have the Spirit of God. He claimed...

Galatians 2:2 And I went up by revelation [Apokalupsis: removal of a covering or veil] , and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain. Apocalypse (two Greek words, apokalupsis, and apokalupto meaning approximately the same thing) Literally, it means the removal of a covering or a veil....

God\'s way has the Scriptural structure and order and a sure foundation. God is a God of order. He has an opinion on everything, including how the foundation of His Church will be laid. No man can send himself to this work. 2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of...

Is God All Powerful? Is God Omnipotent? Genesis 18:14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return to thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. Luke 18:27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. Revelation 19:6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of...

Under the order of local elders and deacons according to the Scriptural pattern, we no longer have the useless overhead of massive salaries and building costs. We are able to give two thirds of the tithe money for mission work and care of the poor throughout the world. Most of the money the we use locally is available to help those who are in need. Very little goes for overhead...

Notice that the anointing of oil is reserved for the elders of the church. The elder is also a bishop. This order was changed by men after the order had been established by God. Interestingly, there is no mention ever of a single elder or bishop in a local church. There is no mention of a chief elder. There is no mention of a locally abiding pastor, although the elders...

I have a question about James chapter 5 verses 13 and 14. In verse 13 we are told that if we are afflicted to pray and if we are merry to sing psalms. However, in verse 14, instead of praying for ourselves when we are sick, we are told to call on the elders.   In 13 we do the praying and rejoicing ourselves, but not in 14.   Why does it...

Mt 16:18 And I say also to thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Mt 18:17 And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it to the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be to thee as an heathen man and a publican. Ac 2:47 Praising God, and having...

Don\'t Miss The first step The Church can come into fullness. Fulfillment will happen God\'s way. Whoever will may come. There are no guarantees for the unfaithful, those not walking in the Spirit by grace through faith. God\'s pattern is more than a pattern. It is the very method of bringing us to salvation.   God restored all the following: Spiritual rebirth by grace through faith: (read article) Freedom from worldly constraints, forms, rituals, rules,...

To many, it seems that the church is not fulfilling its purpose.  The reason Christians are leaving many church organizations is because there is no scriptural way provided by which they may grow to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, which is spoken of in the Scripture. Yet, the Bible plainly lays out the way.  The churches, in many cases, prefer man-made ways to the Bible.  That means that...

Have you considered that your life has a purpose and God knows it and wants to reveal your purpose to you? Do you know your purpose in life?  Are you happy, fully satisfied and completely fulfilled... or do you want something more?  If you continue to think as you have always thought, then you will continue to get what you have always got.  Is it enough?  You can find out...

God so loved the world, that is the cosmos, the universe and its order, that He gave His unique Son so that whoever believes into Him should not die but should have the life of the coming age, an uncreated life that does not end. And how do we believe into Him? It is \"into\" in the original language. Well, who is Christ?  Christ is the Head of the Body in...

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 God loved you (put your name in here) so much that he gave His only unique Son so that if you (put your name in here) believe in Him, you won\'t die, but you will have a Aionial life. This is a specific kind...

Jesus said, "You must be born again."  Nicodemus didn't have a clue what Jesus meant.  He asked, 'How can I be born again?"  It's a great question.  The answer is, "you must believe in Jesus for deliverance from your sins."  Being born again is getting started on the road to spiritual success.  Once you get started, hopefully, you take ground, hold the ground, and go on to total victory. ...

Question: I have been a member of a denominational church for about 19 years. How can I introduce foundational truth about the Five Fold Gifting to the house and still be submitted to my Pastor? I am sold out for God and I do not want Him to say to that I did not do as he has commanded me to do. Now I know that my commission is great. I...

1 Corinthians 13:1 \"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity [agape love], I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.\" 1 Corinthians 13:5 \"[agape love] Doth not behave itself unseemly\" Romans 5:5 \"And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us.\" Hope is...

The apostles and the 5-Fold Ministry, What a concept. Do apostles and the 5-Fold Ministry exist in the Bible? As you will see, apostles and the 5-Fold Ministry do indeed exist in the Bible. There are those who would like to ignore apostles and the 5-Fold Ministry. Can we pick and choose those parts of the Bible that we want and leave the rest, sort of like a cafeteria Christian? There...

Topic: Growing in Christ

God\'s process is that He leads and we submit to that leading. The Holy Spirit flows and we yield to that flowing. God\'s process is tied to God\'s pattern and leads us into God\'s pattern. God\'s process and pattern lead us into the life of the coming age. The processes of this present evil age lead into death, destruction, and misery. \"I would much rather say that every time you make...

Don\'t Miss The first step The Church can come into fullness. Fulfillment will happen God\'s way. Whoever will may come. There are no guarantees for the unfaithful, those not walking in the Spirit by grace through faith. God\'s pattern is more than a pattern. It is the very method of bringing us to salvation.   God restored all the following: Spiritual rebirth by grace through faith: (read article) Freedom from worldly constraints, forms, rituals, rules,...

Isn\'t it time to take ground and then hold ground? And what about finally taking the total victory? We are talking about doing right things right leading to ever-increasing stability of mind and action, and to final complete fulfillment. That is the promise of the Bible, and all of this is possible through Jesus Christ. There is no hope of fulfillment by any other way. Some Christians seem to be content with...

Doing right things right by the right Spirit--this is what the Bible calls righteousness. Earthly wisdom sends you to the wrong source, but God\'s wisdom contains within it the necessary righteousness. Righteousness is by grace through faith. Here is how it works: God speaks His hope. We hear. We receive God\'s word and believe Him. Faith comes by hearing the word (utterance) of God. Faith gives us access to grace, that...

It is human nature to desire to be significant and relevant. In a world where the church and religion have largely lost their relevance, we ask, \"Why?\" What happened that took away the relevance of the church? Actually, two things happened. First, Secularism, a virulent religion, has been on a campaign to marginalize the church for centuries, and they have been very successful in misrepresenting and marketing lies to Christians...

In our souls, if we hear and understand God\'s will and yield ourselves to do it, we are fighting a battle, taking ground away from Satan, the enemy of our souls. This is the fruit of the Spirit; it is righteousness, and it is a free gift from God. Spiritual maturity is holding ground, which is the same thing as faithfulness, stability, and holiness. Holding ground requires a surge of...

God uses an analogy of a garden in Scripture.  Jesus set us free from Satan's chains of slavery, but our minds are still full of impurities that are like roots of bitterness in the gardens of our souls.  These roots of bitterness can spring up like weeds to trouble us.  We all know that this is true.  Satan and worldly counselors are constantly trying to plant weed seeds into our...

No one can come to God except through Jesus Christ (John 3:14), and no one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws them (John 6:44-47).  The Father draws us, so we seek God.  Everyone who seeks God does find Him (Luke 11:9).  God speaks (Romans 10:17), and so does the enemy of our souls (John 8:44).  God speaks His hope into our heart.  God\'s hope sure.  It is the...

I used to think that salvation had nothing to do with works. I didn\'t realize that Jesus has really set us free from sin so we can do good works. We were unable to do good works, but, through Christ, we can now do good works. I didn\'t realize that Jesus gives us the free gift of righteousness, and the righteousness that Jesus gives is real. Then, I realized that...

If you allow the Spirit to lead you to Spiritual music, teaching, reading, meditation, and action, then you will find that the soil of your heart becomes increasingly open to God\'s good seed. The weeds will slowly die out. The fruit of the Spirit will spring up. God will create a clean heart in you. God gives good counsel. God has given wonderful counsel in the church. He speaks to us...

I heard a Christian say that she is trying to practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty. I realized that God isn\'t random or senseless. He doesn\'t need our ideas. He is full of ideas. He doesn\'t want us to use our imaginations to come up with a vision out of our own hearts. He wants us to see a heavenly vision that starts and ends with Him. With these...

There are two areas where God seems to particularly emphasize yielding our members to Him, these are the eyes and the tongues.  When we yield our eyes to God, we see things as they really are.  We begin to see Him as He really is.  If we look at what the original Greek means, 1 John 3:2 says that now, we are the immature children of God, and what we shall be...

When we think seriously of our individual relationship with Jesus, it might seem like this is such an individual walk that there is no need for the church.  That is not the case in any way.  The church is a vital part of the walk.  We quickly come to the point where the Holy Spirit puts the church on our hearts.  We can see the mighty opposition of all Satan's...

You could look at the Kingdom of God and say that it does cost you everything.  If that is how you view it, you must remember that everything that you have is worth nothing.   Everyone in heaven will have joy.  That will cost you your lack of joy.   Everyone in heaven will have peace.  That will cost you your lack of peace.   Everyone in heaven will have...

I would like to encourage you to move forward and follow God. There is much more available to you than you can imagine. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand--that means you can reach out and take hold of it. I\'m not saying that you should try to run ahead of God. I\'m saying that we all need to live according to the promises of Scripture, not according to the...

1 Corinthians 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made to us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: KJV 1 Corinthians 1:30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. NIV Some translations render this as a list of four distinct and equal items:...

Down to earth righteousness is real and it has to do with the will of the person through whom the righteousness is done..  It is righteousness the flows from the Holy Spirit.  It is the flow of God\'s Own Love through the follower of Christ.  It is the fruit of the Spirit.  God speaks, leads.  The Christ follower hears and directs his or her will to follow.  God\'s Own Faith...

What is real faith? What a question! The answer is simple, but it may be different from what you thought that faith was. Real faith is a supernatural belief and trust that comes from God. It is not human faith. Human faith is fake--not real. Human faith is a rationalized faith. It is a self-generated faith. Real faith is the faith of God and it must come from God. FREE on-line BOOK...

There is a tremendous volume of fakery that the world has to offer. On the other hand, the Kingdom of Heaven IS reality. This may seem to be an amazing statement, but it is true. This simple statement, \"The Kingdom of Heaven IS reality,\" can help you to have a deeper understanding of many things. As opposed to the Kingdom of Heaven, the political messages, movies, and much of...

Love; so much has been written about it.  Think of all the love songs and also the songs that have been written to tell us about love.  All we need is love.  What the world needs now is love, sweet love.  And the many romance novels seem to sell very well, plus the many books written to teach us about love.  Here are two facts about love.  God is Love.  Love...

The Holy Spirit The baptism of the Holy Spirit is real and available to you today. Speaking in tongues is Biblical. Scripture speaks of two distinct types of tongues. Liberalism rejects the power of the Holy Spirit Before you are born again, the Holy Spirit convicts you so that you know that you need salvation. When you are born again, your Spirit is cleansed to a great degree and the Holy...

Prayer works. Almost all atheists pray.  Why?  They don\'t want to miss out on the blessing.  Why would a Christian miss out on the benefits of praying? No man - I don\'t care how colossal his intellect - No man is greater than his prayer life.\" ~ Leonard Ravenhill James 4:2 \"You desire [or, lust for], and you do not have. You murder and are jealous and are not able to obtain....

God defines wisdom as something that comes from God Himself.  Wisdom is a gift of God to those who ask for it. (James 1:5-8) 1 Corinthians 1:30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. NIV   Wisdom:moving from taking ground to holding ground and finally moving on to total victory. Wisdom: going from doing right things right...

If God requires total holiness, how can a Christian live total holiness? Is it even possible? Yes, It is possible to live in total holiness, but watch out for this. Do not modify holiness to be something that you can do. Do not think that holiness is something that you can do. Holiness is something that God causes you to become. You just receive it or reject it. There is a...

Have you considered that your life has a purpose and God knows it and wants to reveal your purpose to you? Do you know your purpose in life?  Are you happy, fully satisfied and completely fulfilled... or do you want something more?  If you continue to think as you have always thought, then you will continue to get what you have always got.  Is it enough?  You can find out...